THE KITCHEN (HASSOP HALL)

Historic Fabric Analysis

Location: Hassop Hall, Longreave Lane, Hassop, Derbyshire NGR: SK 22201 72230.

Scope: This document has been prepared to address two conditions (see below) of Listed building consent for the change of use of Hotel, Ballroom, Brew House and Bothey to C3 residential including local refurbishment, removals and repairs (Application number: NP/DDD/0519/0562):

**Condition 5.** Prior to installation of any new flooring to room G23, following removal of the existing floor tiling (Proposals BW2) photos of any flooring uncovered beneath the tiles shall be submitted to the Authority, and the revealed flooring to be made available for inspection by the Authority if required. No new flooring shall be installed within this area other than as approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority.

**Condition 6.** Prior to installation of any new flooring to the area identified as Phase 2 of the kitchen, following removal of the existing flooring (Proposals BW5) photos of any flooring uncovered beneath the existing flooring shall be submitted to the Authority, and the revealed flooring to be made available for inspection by the Authority if required. No new flooring shall be installed within this area other than as approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority.

Survey Area: The survey was confined to observations of the exposed internal fabric of the kitchen area within the north-east wing of Hassop Hall (Figures 1-2). The recording was undertaken by James Thomson MCIFA in November 2020. Figure 1: Site location (location of kitchen shaded in red)

Figure 2: Site layout (survey area shaded in red) The manor of Hassop appears in the Domesday Survey of 1086, with documentary evidence placing the construction of a manor house on the present site of Hassop Hall in 1590 for Rowland Eyre.

The earliest depiction of the manor house is on a map of Hassop dated c.1618 which shows a stylised rendition of the house as three gabled bays, potentially conforming to a L-shaped plan.

A subsequent painting from the end of the 17th Century shows a substantial change, with the building conforming to the present bayed elevations and three storeys. The hall was re-fronted in the mid to late 18th Century.

A map of Hassop from 1831 shows the hall much as it is now, although without any buildings on the site of the present kitchen area. By 1878 a detached building was erected in what is now the eastern half of the kitchens, then comprising a stable and carriage shed. A ground floor plan of 1882 excluded the stables but showed a back-staircase, toilet, and cupboards within the north-east area of the hall that is now incorporated into the kitchen (Appendix 1.1). Further detail of this area and the plan of the stables are shown on the 1913 plan (Appendix 1.2).

Between 1919 and 1920 the present kitchen was constructed, amalgamating the previous stable and carriage house. Plans from this period show the back-stairs shown on the earlier plans as replaced, with the kitchen area subdivided into a kitchen, WC and store; with a larder, scullery and servant’s hall formed in the old stables (Appendix 1.3).

The kitchen area was remodelled in the mid to late 20th Century on the conversion of the hall to a hotel.

**Fabric Analysis:**

*Floors – All rooms*

The floors throughout the kitchen area were of poured (20th Century) concrete, which continued through the door openings and thresholds (Appendix 2.1). The level of the flooring matches the external ground level.

No evidence for earlier floor surfaces was observed.

*Walls – Rooms G5-G7*

The removal of tiling from the walls has exposed the internal fabric throughout the kitchen area. The south wall of the kitchen, between rooms G7 and G8, has exposed limestone walling comprising fabric of the earlier phase 1 external elevation of the hall (Appendix 2.2). Within the wall are two blocked doorways, one blocked with timberwork forming the back of a cupboard in the adjacent wall, and the other blocked with coursed limestone rubble. Both doors had timber lintels and rubble-built jambs. The walling between the doors is of limestone rubble. Running above the doors was a truncated (cut back) horizontal sandstone band, possibly a former string course, with the masonry above this comprising squared limestone rubble laid to courses.

The interior face of the walls adjoining this wall (within the extent of what was the old hall prior to the addition of the kitchen in c.1920) is brick faced and includes an inserted door (Appendix 2.3).

The west and north walls of the 1920s kitchen extension comprised limestone rubble to the rear (Appendix 2.4), with a single internal wall constructed in red brick between G7 and G5/6 (Appendix 2.5).

The east wall of G7 comprises the former external wall of the earlier stables and carriage shed. This is built of coursed limestone with a wide quoined sandstone surround and lintel forming the opening to G3 (Appendices 2.6-7). No scars were observed for the position and fixing of a door, if indeed there was one. Two vertical parallel grooves rising c.70cm from the base of the jambs corresponded to the position of two cut off copper pipes, which were evidently set into the wall (Appendix 2.8).

Walls – Room G1-G3

The external walls of rooms G1-G3, comprising the old stable and carriage shed, are of limestone masonry which is internally backed by brick in rooms G1 and G2, and limestone rubble in G3 (Appendix 2.9-12). There are two blocked inserted windows in the north wall of G1, their dimensions matching those in the west wall of G7 (Appendix 2.14). The sub-dividing walls are of brick, although that between G2 and G3 appears of a 20th century date. A blocked door in the wall between G1 and G2 possessed a quoined ashlar surround. A fireplace in room G3 was brick built and appeared to be an addition (Appendix 2.13).

Ceilings

The ceilings throughout G1-G3 have a smooth finish of plaster over laths. The ceiling within G7 is divided by a large boxed-in beam towards its southern end (Appendices 2.15-16); representing the line of the earlier north wall of the hall and comprising a series of RSJs supporting brickwork masonry above. To the north of this beam the ceiling is of reinforced concrete above timber joists with lath and plaster painted green. This ceiling finish extends throughout G7 on both sides of the ceiling beam.

To the south of the ceiling beam the ceiling comprises two phases of floor joists (Appendix 2.17), comprising an earlier phase of joists (of identical form to that extending north of the ceiling beam) supporting a lath and plaster ceiling, and a later phase of joists blocking a former stairwell for the c.1920 staircase that supported a suspended ceiling. These latter joists are supported on the wall between G7 and G8 and the ceiling beam on steel angles.

Discussion: Observations made during the analysis of fabric opened up within the kitchen area have confirmed the following:

- No historic floor surfaces survive.
- No historic ceilings survive (the modern kitchen, added in the 1920s, included the replacement of ceilings throughout the kitchen area with lath and plaster painted green).
- Exposed faces of internal walls demonstrate evidence of phasing:
  - The exposed masonry in the southern wall of G7 appears to potentially have been an external face originally, and could corroborate the potential presence of a recessed bay shown at this point on the 1832 plan of Hassop. This bay was extended out beyond the line of the rest of the rear elevation by 1878, the fabric of this element appearing to have had a brick backing.
  - The mid-19th Century stable block remains legible within the footprint of the modern kitchen, including its limestone built western elevation with cart entrance. The fabric of the internal walls of this building varies, and has evidently been altered at various stages.

James Thomson MA PGDip (conserve.) MCIfA January 2020 Figure 3: Annotated floor plan showing viewpoints of plates in Appendix 2 Appendix 1

Historic plans Appendix 1.1:\
1882 Ground Floor Plan

Appendix 1.2:\
1913 Ground Floor Plan

Appendix 1.3:\
1920 Ground Floor Plan Appendix 2

Photographs Appendix 2.1: View of floor in room G7, looking north (1m scale)

Appendix 2.2: South wall of G7 (1m scale)

Appendix 2.3: Detail of brickwork in door jamb to east of south wall in G7 (1m scale) Appendix 2.4: West wall of G7, looking north-west

(1m scale)

Appendix 2.5: Internal wall dividing G5/6 and G7

(1m scale)

Appendix 2.6: East wall of G7, showing former cart entrance

(1m scale) Appendix 2.7: Detail of stone lintel over arch in east wall of G7

Appendix 2.8: Detail of grooves for truncated pipes in cart entrance in east wall of G7

(1m scale)

Appendix 2.9: Room G1, looking north-east Appendix 2.10: Room G2, looking east

Appendix 2.11: Room G2, looking north-east

Appendix 2.12: Room G3, looking north-east

(1m scale) Appendix 2.14: Detail of blocked windows in north wall of G1

Appendix 2.13: Fireplace in room G3 Appendix 2.15: Detail of ceiling beam supporting wall of hall above, looking north-east

Appendix 2.16: Detail of ceiling beam supporting wall of hall above, looking east

Appendix 2.17: Detail of ceiling above southern end of G7